The book in question
A fair conclusion to draw would be that I only read music books. I've never thought of myself as an avid reader of the genre and I have been heard to say that I find many of them rather dull. So it is hard to reconcile that declaration with the evidence of late where I have probably read about a dozen music bios in the past year.
This one is a little bit different though. It is a diminutive book which provides step by step instruction on how to write precisely one song - presumably with success you might go on to write another, and another, and so on.
First, a little about the author. Jeff Tweedy is the founder and leader of American band Wilco - beloved of all ageing Gen Xers with cool pretensions. Wilco sprung from the ashes of Tweedy's and Jay Farrar's more country punk oriented Uncle Tupelo from the late 80s. They started out as very much in the country / folk / rock style and then began to veer into more experimental pop and rock. Although Tweedy maintains at heart all of his songs are folk songs.
He has a few solo albums under his belt, the latest of which came out a few months ago and is one of my current favourites. Here's a short clip of Jeff and sons performing a song from the new album live at home.
Back to the book. Part memoir, part life manual and big part how-to write a song, this little book will gladden your heart and give you a smile. I have no intention of writing a song, but Jeff Tweedy provides all sorts of tips and exercises to get the creative side of your brain firing. I especially enjoyed his word exercises to get the beginnings of a verse or poem down on paper. We also get some insight into his marriage (not too much) and his time in hospital recovering from a drug addiction. Everything is served in just the right measure and with love. I enjoyed this little book a great deal and it is one I can see myself returning to from time to time.
Recommended for anyone really. Until next time, peace and love.
